Greek · G4103 · unreviewed

πιστός

Objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful

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πιστός G4103

Pronunciation pistós

What does πιστός (pistós) mean in the Bible?

πιστός (pistós) is a Greek word meaning "objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful". πιστός, -ή, -όν (πείθω), [in LXX chiefly for אָמַן ;] __I. God’s covenant reliability remains intact despite human unbelief. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant, Faith, Revelation.

Full entry for πιστός (G4103) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful

Extended definition

Dual nature: passive sense means trustworthy/reliable; active sense means believing/faithful in trust.

(πείθω), [in LXX chiefly for אָמַן ;]

IPass., to be trusted or believed;

1of persons, trusty, faithful : Mat.24:45 25:21, 23 Luk.12:42, Act.16:15, 1Co.4:2 4:17 7:25, Eph.1:1 6:21, Col.1:2, 7 4:7, 9, 1Ti.1:12, 2Ti.2:2, Heb.2:17 3:2, 5, 1Pe.5:12, Rev.2:13 19:11; of God, 1Co.1:9 10:13, 2Co.1:18, 1Th.5:24, 2Th.3:3, Heb.10:23 11:11, 2Ti.2:13, 1Jn.1:9, 1Pe.4:19; before ἐν, Luk.16:10-12 19:17, 1Ti.3:11; ἐπί, with accusative, Mat.25:23; ἄχρι θανάτου, Rev.2:10; ὁ μάρτυς ὁ π., Rev.1:5; id. καὶ ἀληθινός, Rev.3:14.

2Of things, trustworthy, reliable, sure: Act.13:34, 1Ti.1:15 3:1 4:9, 2Ti.2:11, Tit.1:9 3:8, Rev.21:5 22:6.

IIAct., believing, trusting, relying: Act.16:1, 2Co.6:15, Gal.3:9, 1Ti.4:10 5:16 6:2, Tit.1:6, Rev.17:14; pl., Act.10:45, 1Ti.4:3 4:12; opposite to ἄπιστος, Jhn.20:27; π. εἰς θεόν, 1Pe.1:21; π. ποιεῖν, III Jn 5. (On the difficulty of choosing in some cases between the active and the passive meaning, see Lft., Gal., 157.)

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith

Why This Word Matters

God’s covenant reliability remains intact despite human unbelief.

Trust rooted in revelation.

The believer’s ultimate hope rests in the unwavering character of God.

Assures believers that forgiveness rests on God’s covenant reliability. 2 Timothy 2:8-13

Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 24:45 · Matt 25:21 · Matt 25:23 · Luke 12:42 · Luke 16:10 · Luke 19:17 · John 20:27 · 1 Cor 1:9 · 1 Cor 4:2 · 1 Cor 7:25 · 1 Cor 10:13 · 2 Cor 1:18 · Eph 6:21 · Col 1:7 · Col 4:7 · 1 Thess 5:24 33×

Nominative · Plural · Masculine Luke 16:11 · Luke 16:12 · Acts 10:45 · 1 Tim 6:2 · Rev 17:14 · Rev 21:5 · Rev 22:6 7×

Nominative · Singular · Neuter 1 Cor 4:17 1×

Nominative · Singular · Feminine 1 Tim 5:16 1×

Genitive · Plural · Masculine 1 Tim 4:10 · 1 Tim 4:12 2×

Genitive · Singular · Masculine Titus 1:9 · 1 Pet 5:12 2×

Genitive · Singular · Feminine Acts 16:1 1×

Dative · Singular · Masculine 2 Cor 6:15 · Gal 3:9 · Col 4:9 · 1 Pet 4:19 4×

Dative · Plural · Masculine Eph 1:1 · Col 1:2 · 1 Tim 4:3 · 2 Tim 2:2 4×

Accusative · Singular · Masculine 1 Tim 1:12 · Heb 3:2 · Heb 11:11 3×

Canonical Themes

Covenant Faith Revelation

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

Additional Occurrences

1-john Faithful pistós

reliable, trustworthy

John 20:24-31 πιστός pistós

believing, faithful

Luke 12:41–48 πιστός pistós

Faithful, trustworthy

New Testament Witnesses

2 Timothy 2:8-13 Faithful pistós

faithful, trustworthy, reliable

Romans 3:1-8 πιστότης pistós

Faithfulness, reliability.

Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

1 Corinthians 10 — Learn from Israel, Flee Idolatry, and Seek the Good of Others for God’s Glory 1 Corinthians 4 — Stewards of Christ, Fools for Christ, and a Father’s Admonition Colossians 4 — Prayer, Wise Witness, Faithful Service, and Gospel Fellowship John 20 — The Risen Lord: Empty Tomb, Eyewitness Faith, Peace, Mission, Spirit, Thomas, and the Purpose of the Gospel Luke 12 — Fear God, Confess Christ, Seek the Kingdom, and Be Ready Luke 16 — Faithful Stewardship, the Danger of Wealth, and the Finality of Judgment Luke 19 — The Son of Man Seeks the Lost, Receives the Kingly Kingdom, and Weeps over Jerusalem Matthew 24 — The Olivet Discourse: Temple Desolation, Coming Judgment, the Son of Man, and Watchful Readiness Matthew 25 — Readiness, Stewardship, and the Final Judgment of the Son of Man

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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